


winter push on

by princegrantaire



Series: a world with love [12]
Category: Batman (Comics)
Genre: Established Relationship, Family Bonding, First Christmas, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-24
Updated: 2018-12-24
Packaged: 2019-09-26 15:45:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 828
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17144576
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/princegrantaire/pseuds/princegrantaire
Summary: It's Joker's first Christmas at the manor. Anxiety runs high.





	winter push on

**Author's Note:**

> this is set in a very specific au @slaapkat and i have constructed together, so some context:  
> \- bruce and joker have been dating for years but bruce has only recently come out and joker moved into the manor 10 months ago, this is his first christmas at the manor  
> \- reactions varied, damian decided to live with talia for a while until things settled down. tim is the only kid left at the manor for a while and hes joker's favourite  
> \- the time joker kidnapped tim is a reference to mr dini's "slay ride" story  
> \- tkj did happen but a la tom king's run, barbara's completely fine
> 
> (this is something of a vague companion piece to @slaapkat's [own eddie christmas story](http://slaapkat.tumblr.com/post/181377083062/last-night-at-1am-i-wrote-this-fic-in-a-mad-frenzy) )

“They won’t like me.”

It’s final. Joker extracts his arms from the knitted sweater he’s wearing over his suit, his _whole_ suit, and lets the sleeves flop around uselessly.

“Joker, “ Tim starts, looking up from where he’s sitting on the floor with his back pressed up against the couch Joker’s perched on, abruptly serious in his own matching sweater. “I won’t lie to you.” And just like that, he’s gone back to whatever game he’s playing on his phone this time.

“Um.” Joker waits a full minute before he twists around, smacks Tim’s shoulder with one of his sleeves. “That’s it?”

“Yeah.”

In light of this startling lack of support, Joker makes to sit up and head for sunnier pastures, mainly Bruce’s bedroom. Maybe a crawlspace. With the manor as big as it is, he’s got something close to unlimited options. He doesn’t think he’d prefer any of them. That’s when Tim grabs his leg and manages to trip him up so effectively, Joker ends up quite literally sprawled out on the floor, arms caught in his self-imposed sweater trap.

That’s not a Robin move. It’s mostly nothing more than an unintended consequence going by Tim’s shouted _I’m sorry!_ and another subsequent chain of apologies. “Please don’t tell Bruce, I didn’t--”

Joker laughs, delighted. “Kiddo, it’s fine. Promise!” he offers and means it, as much as he can.

Christmas isn’t, strictly speaking, the kind of thing Joker’s ever put too much faith in. It’s just another day, as far as he’s concerned, and it tends to inspire no great showmanship on his part. The peak might’ve been that exploding tree back in Arkham’s heyday but that’d led to tighter straitjackets and sedatives that had rendered the following few weeks simply blank.

So.

Not meant for him.

The fact that he’s found himself still at the manor around this time feels both coincidental and alarmingly anxiety-inducing. Bruce wants him around. Inexplicably.

Also in the realm of the inexplicable: he’s been around here for the past _ten_ months. Joker’s been keeping count, cruising on this notion of too-good-to-be-true and full of the certainty that the mirage is just there on the brink of extinction.

“Hey. Remember when you kidnapped me on Christmas Eve?” Tim asks. They still haven’t moved from their respective positions. Joker blinks at him, he’s mildly comfortable, there on the floor.

“Uh huh,” Joker agrees and can’t see where this is going.

“What were you gonna do if I hadn’t, let’s say, outsmarted you?” There’s genuine curiosity prodding at Tim’s tone, faint traces of amusement too. It doesn’t seem like it’s an apology he’s gunning for but Joker’s never been the best judge of that.

There have been, he thinks, a certain number of apologises expected from him, none breached directly. An overheard conversation between Bruce and the Gordon girl had been the closest he’d gotten to it, faintly understanding that her threats of hanging up the cape and cowl should have, most likely, evoked something or other in him. It’s more guilt for the lack of--

“I don’t know,” Joker admits, honest.

“Oh.” But Tim doesn’t seem disappointed in the slightest, pleased maybe. “Well, y’know, after I got over the whole kidnapped by you thing, it was pretty fun. Bruce _never_ gets me burgers! That’s what I’m saying though, you didn’t know how it was gonna go but it still turned out fine, didn’t it?”

“I got hit by a truck,” Joker says, rather mechanically, then gives himself the benefit of _really_ thinking about it. “But I didn’t end up in Arkham! Whaddya know, Timberly, you’re right! It _did_ turn out fine!”

“Yes!” Tim exclaims and leans just far enough to manage to high-five Joker, arms still trapped in the sweater and all.

That’s when Bruce walks in. There’s a bruise high on his cheek from last night’s patrol and he’s looking more tired than anyone who’s slept ‘till noon has any right to be but he’s big and soft around the edges as always, warm in a sweater of his own. It’d been his idea in the first place, one last resort to make them look like a real family when even the ever stalwart Alfred’s refused to try.

“Dick just called, he’s got Damian and they’re on their way,” Bruce says, bright enough as he kneels down and brushes Joker’s hair off his forehead. They don’t do… this, not in front of Tim, or anyone else for that matter. Still too fresh a wound. “You boys ready?”

“Not at all,” is all Joker’s got to say, fond all the same. He holds Bruce’s hand for the briefest of moments, content in the intimacy of shared smiles.

A knock on the door breaks them apart but Joker doesn’t mind that either.

Better to get it over with.

“Hey.” Tim tucks his phone in his pocket and helps Joker up unprompted. “If it helps, I… I think you make Bruce happy. That’s good enough for me.”

**Author's Note:**

> hope you enjoyed!!!!!!!!! find me on tumblr @ufonaut


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